Time setting and time control mechanism for automatic toasters and the like



Feb. 21, 1933,

T. JOHNSON 1,898,972

C. TIME SETTING AND TIME CONTROL MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC TOASTERS AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 4, 1929 INVENTOR AT ORNEY Patented Feb. 21, 1933 warren Ei sT TEs PATENT OFFICE omunn'r. JOHNSON, or nasr ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 'ro THOMAS A. EDISQN, :moonronarnp, or .wns'r. oannen, new JERSEY, aconroaa'riolv or NEW ERSEY v TIME sn'rrmea vn TIME CONTROL-MECHANISM For, AUTOMATIC roasrnas AND rrnn LIKE Application 'filed November 4,1929. SeriaI 'No. 404,547.

This invention relates to timegsetting and time control mechanismfor automatic toastersandthe likevand more particularly isxan improvement. on the apparatus shown and claimed in the copending application of Charles A. Schallisyfiled November 4, 1929, Serial No. 404,810, entitled Automatic toaster assignedto Thomas A. 'Edison, Incorporated, to which reference may be had for amore complete understanding of the associated apparatus with which my invention is intended to function.

Since this invention per se relates to an improvement in the time control and release '15 mechanism only and does not involve other elements such as the latching mechanism and thelike, I have shown only the particular apparatus with which my invention is concerned and the apparatus withwhich it is directly associated.

Ina general way however it may be stated that a toaster of the class to which my invention is particularly applicable includes latching mechanism for the purpose of holdingthe grates injuxtaposition with the article-.to'be heated and also trip mechanism for disengaging thei'latch at the end of .a predetermined time to permit the grates to move away from the article to be heated. The

' time control mechanism consists of a suitable-clockwork-which drives a trip in .a dimotion to engage a finger associated with the latch in order to move the: latch out of latching position and permitthe grates to move away from-the toast. F or the purpose of controlling thetime interval during which the gratesremain in juxtaposition with the toast, without varying the position to which n the clockwork is wound, the latch trip is 40 provided with a camface 6 which engages the latch, and thellatch trip'is so arranged as to be movable in one directionby theenergizing clockwork and to" bemovable in a diflerent direction by'the time control mechanism. V

The features of novelty which I' believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims: My invention itself, however, both as to its fundamental principles and as to its particular application will best be understoodby reference to the specification and the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a .plan view of apparatus according to myinvention.

Figure 2 an elevational view partlyin section.

Figure 3 is a fragmental planof the-trip lever showing the slottherein.

Figure 4 is va sectional view of the setting lever .online H of Figure 1;;with a diagrammatic viewof the co-operating notches and scale.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing,'L designates a latch pivoted as at 1 upon the pedestal'2 securedtothe base 1, the latch being arranged for rotation about the said pivot.- In the position 'shownlin Figure 1 the latch is in engaged position in g which the grates areheld closed. The cam face -6-of the trip lever T is arranged to engage the faceofextensionL' of the latch and to rotate the latch counter clockwise (as is hereinafter more fully set forth) thereby releasing the grates andpermitting them to fall. The'latch is biased-by spring 6 towards the fposition shown but the-spring bias isnot su cient to maintain the latch in position against'the pressure of the cam face which engages the downwardlytu-rned extensionL. upon the latch.

The triplever'T is pivotedat its opposite end atpoint 7 upon-a driving armor memher :8 which is carried by the clockwork mechanism diagrammatically-shown as 9 and energized by spring=10 andmay have intermediate depressions forming bearing surfaces against baseplate 1, thereby permitting the trip lever-bearing the cam face 6 to slide on .thebase plate. "The time control or time setting lever 3 is pivoted at its inner end at 2 and has a resilient portion at its outer end rovided with a rib 4 and is also provided with an operating button 5. The rib 4 is adapted to engage a series of notches 9' in the cooperating index or scale 10, diametrically shown in Figure 4, by means of which the lever 3 may be set in the angular position desired.

An intermediate point on the lever 3 is connected to an intermediate point upon the tri lever by means of a link 11 having one en pivoted to the lever 3 and the other end pivoted to the trip lever.

From this it will be seen that if the lever 8 is held stationary for any reason, movement of the end 5 of lever 3 will cause the cam face 6 of the trip to move substantially upward and downward in Figure 1 whereas on the other hand if the lever 3 is fixed in position, operation of the clockwork mechanism which controls the movement of the lever 8 as it is moved counter clockwise under the influence of spring 10, will cause the cam face 6 to move in a substantially straight line across the papler in Figure l and at a given point in suc movement engage the extension L of the latch. This rmits an easy control of the time required i dr the clockwork to disenga e the latch L, since it will be understood t at by moving the lever 3 downwardl in Figure 1, the trip lpver T with its cam ace 6 is moved downwardly and consequently a lesser rotation of arm-8 will serve to trip the latch.

For the purpose of preventing the latch from being moved too far out of position there is a rovided finger 19 which may be struck up fi-om the base plate 1. Under certain conditions movement of the lever 3 might cause the cam face 6 to strike against finger 19 and further pressure applied against the end of lever 3 would merely serve to distort and perhaps permanently injure .the mechanism. To prevent such action, I provide a yielding connection interpowd be tween lever 3 an the trip lever. lthough this; connection may be provided in other ways, I prefer to provide slot 14 in the trip lever and to provide a stud 15 on link 11 which stud 15 en ages said slot. For the purpose of nonmfily maintaining the stud 15, in the slot 14 there is provided a spring lfi-positioned between studs 15 and 1 7 on the .one hand and stud 18 both of the latter studs being mounted on the trip lever. The arrangement is such that .the sprin 16 normally exerts a suificient tension ho din the stud 15in slot 14 to permit of norms adjustment of the time control lever 3. How

ever, should the cam face 6 strike any any yieldingobstacle such as finger 19 which would prevent its further movement than the spring 16 will yield and permit the stud Lem move out of the slot 14. As soon as made on the opposite" end 0 the pressure is relieved the action of this spring will cause stud 15 to work back into position in the slot. It will thus be seen that such a connection permits normal adjustment of the time control lever while at the same time eliminating the danger of bendingv the various levers.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that modification and changes maybe made. without departing frem the spirit and scope of my invention as will be understood b those skilled in the art. In particular, w ile-I have shown the yielding connection at one point on link 11 it will be understood that the connection may be r that other changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a driving member, a trip lever having at one end a cam face, and. ivotally connected at the other end to said driving member, a setting loser pivotally connected at one end for time control movement, and a yielding connection between intermediate points on said setting lever and said trip ever.

2. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a driving member, a trip lever having at one end a cam face, and pivotally connected at the other end to said drivin member, a setting lever pivotally connected at one end for time control movement, and a yielding and resilient connection between intermediate points on said setting lever and said trip lever.

3. In apparatus of the class described, in combinatlon, a driving member, a trip lever having at one end a cam face, and ivotally connected at the other end 'to sai drivin member, a setting lever pivotally conn at one end for time control movement, and a link connected at one end to an intermediate point on said setting lever and at the other end to an intermediate point on said trip lever, one of said connections being yielding and resilient.

4. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a driving member, a trip lever having at one end a cam face, and pivotally connected at the other end to said dri member, a settinglever pivotally connehl at one end for time control movement, a link connected at one end to an intermediate point on said setting lever and at the other end to an intermediate point on said trip lever, said link having a in at one and engaging aslot in one 0 said levers, and resilient and yielding means for maintainingsaidpininsaidslot. 1

5. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a driving member, a trip lever having at one end a cam face, and pivotally connected at the other end to said driving member, a setting lever pivotally connected at one end for time control movement, a link connected at one end to an intermediate point on said setting lever and at the other end to an intermediate point on said trip lever, said link having a pin at one end, engaging a slot in one of said levers, and resilient and yielding means for maintaining said pin in said slot, said means comprising a spring extending longitudinally of the slotted lever and secured thereto.

This specification signed this 2nd day of Nov. 1929.

CLAUDE T. JOHNSON. 

